Over the years,
the quest for the ultimate Jeep wheelbase has been quite the interesting
study topic. Beginning with the CJ-5, the wheelbase has grown from
81" to as high as the CJ-8 (aka Scrambler), which had a 103.5"
wheelbase. Variations on the theme also reached the top-side, where
longer tubs have been used in the CJ-6 and even pickup-style beds
in the Scrambler.

What we're
seeing now is the price of Scramblers rising and the number of
used vehicles declining rapidly as people snatch them up, as well
as the CJ-6's, in search of the trail rig with the ultimate wheelbase.
We're even seeing custom vehicles, like the AEV Conversions "Brute"
which we saw at last year's SEMA Show.

For the last
year or so, the rumor mill has been hot with news of a new breed
of long wheelbase (LWB) Jeep TJ coming from the factory in Toledo.
Though nothing official has been said and the continuing party
line of "we cannot comment on future product"
persists from Jeep PR, the signs are all pretty obvious what's
coming from Jeep - a long wheelbase TJ.

Our first
clue came last summer at Camp Jeep, when we saw two examples of
prototypes on display. The one seen here features a 112"
wheelbase, a hard top cab and full pickup bed. Coming in 19"
longer than today's TJ, this very well could be the LWB Jeep of
the near future.

We have also
learned that the Egyptian Armed Forces has purchased 1,000 LWB
Jeeps, dubbed "TJL" which are to be assembled at the
Arab American Vehicles facility in Cairo, Egypt beginning the
second quarter of 2003. DaimlerChrysler owns a 49% stake in AAV
and will make the vehicles available to other customers if the
demand is there.

That brings
us to today. The NADA convention was held Feb. 1-4th in San Francisco.
What seemed to be the same black Jeep shown at Camp Jeep made
another showing there to a crowd of car dealers - this time without
the bed rails. Though no official word has come from Jeep PR,
the word on the street is that this is the 2005 LWB Jeep. Whether
it will officially be called "Scrambler" again,
remains to be seen.

Though Jeep
certainly doesn't expect the LWB Jeep to be a huge seller, it
should help bring the aging factory that cranks out the Wranglers
up toward full capacity, which is good news for everyone.

So nobody
is saying for sure what's to come, but the clues sure are all
out there on the table. Time will tell.